Bellechasse is a regional county municipality (RCM) of Quebec located in the region of Chaudière-Appalaches. Its capital is Saint-Lazare-de-Bellechasse.--[https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellechasse Wikipedia]

Usually vital records (birth, marriage, and death) are found in civil registration and church records. In Quebec until 1900, civil (government) registration was kept by the churches, with a duplicate provided to the government. There are three ways to access these records:

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:::1) church records in the Drouin collection, available online,

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:::2) civil register duplicates of church records in the Quebec Library and Archives system, and

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:::3) the records of the Family History Library (FamilySearch), online and microfilmed.

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== Resources ==

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== Civil Registration in the Quebec Library and Archives ==

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In Quebec, the civil registers of births (baptisms), marriages and deaths (burials), which date from 1621, were '''duplicate copies of the church registers.''' This third source all of the pre-1900 records can be consulted at each of the nine regional offices of [http://www.banq.qc.ca/accueil/index.html?language_id=1&bnq_langue=en '''Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec'''].

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==== Cemeteries ====

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==Writing for Birth, Marriage, and Death Records After 1900==

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*Certificates of births, marriages, and deaths from 1900 may be applied for through the [http://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/en/services.html '''online Quebec government site''',] or by writing to:

*Only the person named in the record or that person's legal representative may have access to civil registration and civil copies of church records after 1900. Direct descendants qualify as representatives.

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==== Civil Registration (Vital Records) ====

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See also [[Quebec Civil Registration]], for information on published vital records.

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== Church Records: The Drouin Collection==

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Among other records, this database&nbsp;includes all the church records for the province of Quebec, that is, for the Adventist, Anglican, Apostolic, Baptist, Christ Church, Christian Brethren, Christian Missionary Alliance, Church of Christ, Church of England, Church of Scotland, Congregational, Episcopal, Evangelical, Free Church, Greek Orthodox, Holiness Movement, Jewish, Lutheran, Methodist, Romanian Orthodox, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Protestant, Russian Orthodox, Salvation Army, Unitarian, United Church, and Universalist denominations.&nbsp; The types of records include baptisms, marriages, and burials as well as confirmations, dispensations, censuses, statements of readmission to the church,&nbsp;and so on.&nbsp; They are written mainly in French, as well as English, Latin, and Italian.<br>

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==== Court ====

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*The Drouin Collection is available by subscription ($13.00/month or $100.00/year as of December 2016) at [https://www.genealogiequebec.com/fr/ '''Généalogie Québec'''].

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*The Drouin Collection is also available on Ancestry. [http://www.ancestry.ca/drouin '''The Drouin Collection 1621-1967'''] ($). Ancestry.com can be used without charge at [[Family History Centers]] throughout the world.<br>

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==== Land ====

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For more information, see [[The Drouin Collection: Six Databases]].

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==== Local Histories ====

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==The FamilySearch Collection==

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FamilySearch has microfilmed the entire collection of civil records in the Quebec Library and Archives.

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===Online Databases===

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Many of the parish (church) records have been digitized and posted online. They are only '''partially indexed,''' so browsing the original records is more effective:

All of the church/civil records have been microfilmed by FamilySearch.These microfilms may be ordered for viewing at [https://familysearch.org/locations/ Family History Centers] around the world. To find a microfilm:

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:::a. Click on [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/results?count=20&placeId=174360&query=%2Bplace%3A%22Canada%2C%20Qu%C3%A9bec%2C%20Bellechasse%22 '''records for Canada, Québec, Bellechasse'''.] You will see a list of available records for the county.

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:::b. You will also see above the list the link '''Places within Canada, Québec, Bellechasse'''. This will take you to a list of towns in the counties, which are links to records for the specific town.

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:::c. Click on any topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

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:::d. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. [[File:FHL icons.png|75px]]. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

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==== Military ====

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== Census ==

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Census records can play an important role in identifying all members of a family. They then guide your search in the vital records because you have more clues as to who you are looking for.

*{{RecordSearch|1804541|Canada Census, 1881}} Index and Images. Also at [http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1881/Pages/1881.aspx Library and Archives Canada] Index and images, and at [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1577 Ancestry.com] ($) Index and Images.

*It's easier than you think! You do not have to be fluent in French to use these records, as there is only a limited vocabulary used in them. By learning a few key phrases, you will be able to read them adequately. Here are some resources for learning to read French records.

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:::[[French Genealogical Word List|French Genealogical Word List]]

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:::[[French Handwriting|French Handwriting]].

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*There is a three-lesson course in reading French Records:

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::::{{LearningCenter2|83|Reading French Handwritten Records Lesson 1: The French Alphabet}},

The Forbears website will give you an extensive list of websites that could have information for people who lived in this county. Some sites cover just the county, some cover all of Quebec, and some cover all of Canada. Some sites are databases of names and facts about people; other sites cover background information such as maps, history, geography, or genealogy strategies and methods for the region.<br>

Usually vital records (birth, marriage, and death) are found in civil registration and church records. In Quebec until 1900, civil (government) registration was kept by the churches, with a duplicate provided to the government. There are three ways to access these records:

1) church records in the Drouin collection, available online,

2) civil register duplicates of church records in the Quebec Library and Archives system, and

3) the records of the Family History Library (FamilySearch), online and microfilmed.

In Quebec, the civil registers of births (baptisms), marriages and deaths (burials), which date from 1621, were duplicate copies of the church registers. This third source all of the pre-1900 records can be consulted at each of the nine regional offices of Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec.

Writing for Birth, Marriage, and Death Records After 1900[edit | edit source]

Only the person named in the record or that person's legal representative may have access to civil registration and civil copies of church records after 1900. Direct descendants qualify as representatives.

Among other records, this database includes all the church records for the province of Quebec, that is, for the Adventist, Anglican, Apostolic, Baptist, Christ Church, Christian Brethren, Christian Missionary Alliance, Church of Christ, Church of England, Church of Scotland, Congregational, Episcopal, Evangelical, Free Church, Greek Orthodox, Holiness Movement, Jewish, Lutheran, Methodist, Romanian Orthodox, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Protestant, Russian Orthodox, Salvation Army, Unitarian, United Church, and Universalist denominations. The types of records include baptisms, marriages, and burials as well as confirmations, dispensations, censuses, statements of readmission to the church, and so on. They are written mainly in French, as well as English, Latin, and Italian.

The Drouin Collection is available by subscription ($13.00/month or $100.00/year as of December 2016) at Généalogie Québec.

b. You will also see above the list the link Places within Canada, Québec, Bellechasse. This will take you to a list of towns in the counties, which are links to records for the specific town.

c. Click on any topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

d. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. . The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

It's easier than you think! You do not have to be fluent in French to use these records, as there is only a limited vocabulary used in them. By learning a few key phrases, you will be able to read them adequately. Here are some resources for learning to read French records.

The Forbears website will give you an extensive list of websites that could have information for people who lived in this county. Some sites cover just the county, some cover all of Quebec, and some cover all of Canada. Some sites are databases of names and facts about people; other sites cover background information such as maps, history, geography, or genealogy strategies and methods for the region.